Dawkins took the Cardinal to just one NCAA tournament in eight years and never contender for the Pac-12 regular season or tournament titles.

“This decision was not easy, and it was a very difficult discussion for both Johnny and me,”” Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir said. “But like everything else during his tenure at Stanford, he handled it with class, respect and the utmost concern for his student-athletes,”

Muir, a staunch Dawkins supporter in the past, will lead the search for a replacement and gave no timetable for hiring a coach.

Former Stanford big man Jarron Collins, currently an assistant with the Warriors, is expected to be a strong candidate for the job, according to multiple sources.

Collins played in the NBA and was hired by Warriors coach Steve Kerr two years ago but has no head coaching experience.

CBS Sports was the first to report the news of Dawkins” dismissal.

Hired in April of 2008 by former athletic director Bob Bowlsby, Dawkins inherited a program that had been to the NCAA Tournament 13 of the previous 14 years.

The Cardinal reached March Madness just once in his eight seasons — a run to the Sweet 16 in 2014 — and never finished closer than four games off the pace in the regular-season. He was 12 games under .500 in league play over the course of his tenure.

“While I am disappointed that we could not achieve the desired high level results, I leave proud of the tremendous young men who have given their all to the program and I know the future is bright for Stanford basketball,” Dawkins said in a statement released by the school.

Dawkins has recruited well. His successor will inherit a veteran lineup; the roster is expected to return intact.

One critical task for the next Stanford coach will be curbing the spate of injuries that derailed the Cardinal, not only this season but in past years.

Dawkins” termination comes the same day Trent Johnson, the coach he succeeded at Stanford, was fired by TCU.